Top 5 number 9s in FC Dallas history

As a follow up to our 25th season celebration series naming the top 5 players by position in FCD franchise history, I started a Top 5 FCD Players by Number series.

It’s time for the first of the two big dogs, the number 9.

Around these parts, we think numbers are important, and I had the idea that – if the season didn’t restart – it might be fun to spin the Top 5s a bit and do a Top 5 Players by Number series. Of course, the season did restart so the idea went on the back burner… until now.

Disclaimer: The 25th Season Top 5 Player lists were voted on by a committee. These Top 5 Player by Number lists are just mine. So come at me, bro!

Top 5 FCD Number 9s

The 9 is the high-striker or, at the very least, a forward. This FCD group has the best pure-positional representation on our lists in this number project so far.

RankNameNotes
1Jason KreisWith all due respect to Matt Hedges, Jason Kreis is the franchise GOAT. 1999 MLS MVP (first American born MVP), 1999 MLS Best XI, 1999 MLS Golden Boot, 7-time MLS All-Star, and 5-time FCD leading scorer.  He still leads FCD in 10 stat categories and ranks 10 top in 6 others. Kreis topped out Best Player, Off-Striker, Best Single-Season, 5th at Attacking Mid, and Honorable Mention at High-Striker. Kreis wore the number 15 his first two seasons before swapping to the 9 jersey with the departure of Peter Hattrup. The fact he’s not in the Texas Soccer Walk of Fame is an insult.
2Jeff CunninghamOur 3rd ranked high-striker, the position called the 9, in club history. Cunningham was 31 with 99 MLS goals by the time he joined FC Dallas in 2008 but in 2009 he did something special winning the MLS Golden Boot with 17 goals.  Add in 8 assists and you have one of the best seasons in club history.  2010 was also a solid year with 11 goals in 27 games but just 13 starts.
3Roberto MinaMina had 3 seasons in Dallas but never quite lived up to the hopes and missed all of the final one with a knee injury. Roberto wore the 9 but played more as an off-striker. Often hampered by injuries, Mina only played 37 games with FCD making 24 starts, scoring 10 goals, and adding 5 assists.  Yet he still made an Honorable Mention appearance in our Off-Striker list
4Hugo SanchezIf you have ever wondered who the best player to ever play for FC Dallas is when taking into consideration their entire career, the answer is Hugo Sanchez. Just one season in Dallas with just 6 goals in 23 games where his biggest value came in establishing the franchise and giving legitimacy to the league. But before Dallas? My goodness. Concacaf Player of the Century is just the tip of the iceberg.
5Blas Perez Perez came in a 3rd in our list of 7 jerseys, but he played positionally as a 9… and his one season wearing the 9 before he swapped gets him on this #9s list ahead of David Texeira. In 2012, Blas scored 9 goals and registered 4 assists in just 20 games with 19 starts.  That’s a pretty good season. If he had worn the 9 his entire time in Dallas he probably would have finished 2nd on this list.

What’s your list look like?

#9 – All-Time FCD Roster

Fafa Picault2020
Cristian Colman2017 to 2019
Getterson2016
David Texeira2014 to 2015
Ramon Nunez2013
Blas Perez2012
Maicon Santos2011
Jeff Cunningham2008 to 2010
Roberto Mina2005 to 2007
Jason Kreis1998 to 2004
Peter Hattrup1997
Hugo Sanchez1996

Players tend to hold on to this number.

Up next?

The granddaddy of them all, the number 10.

That’s gonna be fun.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *